Middlesex Make Proteas Toil
Strauss - dismissed by Morkel.
Morne Morkel made short work of Andrew Strauss on an otherwise forgettable second day for South Africa against Middlesex at Uxbridge.
Morkel was the clear pick of the tourists' much-touted pace attack, which found the going tough as Eoin Morgan (109no) posted a maiden first-class hundred for his county - and Dawid Malan (67) also took advantage of benign conditions as the hosts closed on 311 for five in reply to 359 for five declared.
England opener Strauss appeared set to make a point for the Test series about to start at Lord's next week but was cut off in his prime by first change Morkel.
Strauss opted to play in this tour match and was into his stride with two boundaries in a first over from Dale Steyn which cost 15 runs.
Strauss and Billy Godleman continued to bat with purpose against new-ball pair Steyn and Makhaya Ntini, and the England man looked in good form with five convincing boundaries in his 29 - before Morkel struck, in only his second over.
Granted the chance to bowl on an outground pitch with useful pace and carry, Morkel was soon thudding the ball high into wicketkeeper Mark Boucher's gloves.
It was one such delivery which Strauss attempted to deflect for runs fine on the leg-side, only to be undone by the Morkel factor and got caught behind.
Godleman and Malan were therefore required to deal with Morkel and Co for the remainder of the morning session - and duly did so without major alarm but plenty of necessary concentration.
Godleman was to go disappointingly in early afternoon, fanning a catch to second slip as Jacques Kallis angled the ball into him from round the wicket - and the fourth of Middlesex's five successive left-handers, captain Ed Joyce, was bowled through the gate driving at Paul Harris.
Morgan survived a confident lbw appeal from Harris first ball.
But it was the return of Morkel, sparingly used for just four overs before lunch, which began to trouble the well-organised Malan.
He played and missed more than once before edging to third slip on 39, only to be reprieved by a no-ball - on the way to a 113-ball half-century which was completed with a cover drive for his eighth four, off Kallis in a productive final over before tea.
For the Roehampton-born but South African-bred and raised 20-year-old, it was doubtless a highly-satisfying moment.
Ashwell Prince halted Malan's celebrations, finding the edge to slip via an attempted drive.
But Morgan - who hit left-arm spinner Harris for three sixes - also plundered 16 fours in a busy near run-a-ball hundred which he completed shortly before stumps with a reverse-swept boundary off Hashim Amla's apologetic off-spin.
Morgan also struck a clutch of dismissive pulls off Steyn, accepting the pace workload as Graeme Smith restricted Morkel to only nine overs in a day which ended with a stalemate apparently assured.
The tourists' overnight centurion Prince (114) and AB de Villiers had begun proceedings by showing little obvious urgency in half-an-hour's batting, adding 20 runs in 8.3 overs.
It was Prince's dismissal which brought the declaration just before it would have become mandatory in the 100th over.
South Africa were clearly concerned with preparation for the Test series rather than burgling extra runs off the Middlesex attack - and each batsman allowed several balls to pass by, taking only what was easily on offer with minimal risk.
For the record, Prince's accomplished 206-ball innings ended when Morgan presaged his own batting by intercepting a crunching cut shot off Danny Evans to take an athletic catch at point.